Protégé + Bar Underdog

Studio KDA was incredibly supportive and patient working with us. When we had an idea or questions, or needed to get things done quickly, they were very, very patient and supportive.  They made us feel comfortable with our decisions, and we trusted them to let us know if we were making mistakes. There was no attitude or pride. Marites went above and beyond to do research on her own that saved us literally tens of thousands of dollars. She bought us some financial freedom to do other things, and her eye for design really resonated with mine.

Dennis Kelly, MS

Master Sommelier I Owner

Temescal Housing

I have worked with many architects over the years. Charles and his crew are the most responsive I have encountered.  It was usually the highlight of my day coming to his office to see what he and his team have developed. I have been consistently impressed with SKDA’s versatility in design; on various projects they presented designs that were elegantly modern, classically traditional or a timeless combination of styles each fitting the neighborhood character and, in one case, the political landscape for approvals. In short, they were extremely responsive to my team’s needs. They are delightful to work with and I really love their work and work style.

Ron Kriss, Developer I Realtor

Everest Properties

I’ve been a client of Studio KDA since 2012 and they have worked on several of our development properties and upgrades. I have really appreciated the relationship we have. Charles knows the ins and outs of Berkeley, the Zoning Board, and the political environment. He gives very important input on all our projects, but also leaves things up to his staff when he needs to. He knows when to delegate, and is also open to different ideas.  He is very respectful, very savvy, and a very nice guy to work with.

Laksh Lakireddy, President

Everest Properties

Luna Dance & Creativity

This past Saturday Luna held its first regular Open House since pre-pandemic. About 100 people showed up throughout the morning. I was so very proud of the space. The care you showed in designing a functional, aesthetic, code-approvable space was sheer genius. Every single person oohed, aahed, or emphatically stated their appreciation of the spaces beautiful and welcoming nature. Thanks again for listening and helping us realize this vision.

Patricia Reedy, Director Teaching & Learning

Restaurant Verbena

Working with superstars Keith and Marites on our restaurant project in San Francisco was literally my favorite experience launching the business. They bring a keen eye for design, a tight commitment to detail, and a graceful, professional experience to the collaboration. They translated our vision into a thoughtful creation, assisted with value engineering to stay on budget, and were an absolute pleasure to work with through the entire process. They would be first on my list for any future project!

Eric Fenster, Owner

Verbena I Gather I Back to Earth

Build Pizzeria

I engaged with Keith and Marites to help us design our new restaurant in Berkeley and they couldn’t have been a better fit for us. As a hospitality designer, I’ve worked with many architects over the years and I can’t say enough about their talent, knowledge of the industry, efficiency, and ease to work with. Have a great architect / design team to help owners and developers manage the process of opening a food service facility is a must, and these guys are fantastic. They consistently came up with creative solutions that were budget-friendly, and their knowledge of the intricacies of the code requirement isn extensive. We had to push to get documentation done ASAP, and we sailed through with only one set of small revisions thanks to the team’s effort. I’m looking forward to using them again as we expand and open additional project as well. I won’t go forward without them on the team.

Beyond the quality of the product they deliver, it is the level of service and care that they provide that makes them a delight to work with.  Ultimately, successful design projects are about the quality of interactions between people; the people at SKDA are talented, responsive, and grounded.  No item is too small.  Their attention to projects from start to finish assures that I will turn to SKDA when my school needs a great architectural firm.

Lisa Holt, Owner

Byer Properties

Over the last ten years or so I have worked with SKDA on many projects including retail store design, shopping center remodels and a beautiful mixed use project. We are a family business with a long-term hold philosophy and SKDA has been instrumental in helping me create and renovate our properties so they are vibrant and will stay that way for many years.

The team is masterful at navigating through an often difficult entitlement process through any city agency. When projects are met with skepticism in the beginning by neighbors and city planners, SKDA alleviates the concerns and by the end has all parties endorsing the projects. They are excellent at listening to my vision and then implementing it in their design.

Alex Byer, President

Byer Properties

The Moran Oakland

Studio KDA effectively moved my project design through the City process in spite of the fact that we were in a historical district and we had two adjacent property owners who were not in my backyard. They were very, very effective. Also, they did a super job both in the original concept (The Cascade) and throughout the implementation.  When I tour groups through both projects, they all say, when we get to the Moran, “I want to live here”.

Charlie Long, Partner

Junction Properties

Comal + The Advocate

We worked with SKDA on all of our restaurant projects and couldn’t have been happier.  Keith and Marites are collaborative, smart, creative and efficient.  Together they bring a holistic approach to their projects that encompasses everything from acoustics, materials and lighting to nuts and bolts details like ergonomics and code compliance. I recommend them highly!

John Paluska, Owner

 

Home Addition + Remodel

Everyone who visits me loves the addition, and most comment that “it looks like it has always been here”. Most importantly, I love it! Every time I go into the master bath, I feel a little surge of pride, contentment, satisfaction…and gratitude. Similarly, the new family room fulfills all my hopes and goals for living in it comfortably. But one of the truly remarkable aspects is the way the indoors and the outdoors interact. At night when I stand in certain place, I see a reflection of the bookcase in the French door that makes it seem to extend along the lodge by the stream…an outdoor bookcase! And all day long I get to enjoy the changing light in the garden. Everything has worked out brilliantly!

Stephen Ordway, Berkeley Homeowner

Flour + Co

Marites and her team are the minds behind the interior design.  They took my verbal vision and have transformed it into a beautiful masterpiece with interesting textures, colors, finishes, and details.  All perfectly in tune with my brand.  I love what they came up with.

Emily Day, Owner 

Yellow Moto

I’ve had a fair bit of experience with designer and often they bring ego to a project. I didn’t feel that was the case with Keith and Marites at Studio KDA. They listened to our vision and articulated our vision for us. It was the perfect scenario. We worked directly with them and we really liked them, their aesthetic, and how they communicate.

David White, Owner

The Bentley School

Beyond the quality of the product they deliver, it is the level of service and care that they provide that makes them a delight to work with.  Ultimately, successful design projects are about the quality of interactions between people; the people at SKDA are talented, responsive, and grounded.  No item is too small.  Their attention to projects from start to finish assures that I will turn to SKDA when my school needs a great architectural firm.

Duncan Lyon, Head of School

 

Homeroom

Architects Keith (Morris) and Marites (Abueg) are the people responsible for turning our vague concepts into concrete realities.  Keith is a technical expert who helped us figure out how to create a functional kitchen in our tiny space, and who walked us through the complexities of making a restaurant comply with the building and health codes. Marites is the design guru who was able to understand our vision and come up with things like unique color schemes, beautiful finishes and lighting design to reflect the feeling we wanted the space to have.

Erin Wade and Allison Arevalo, Owners

Uptown Co-Living

What I am most impressed with and like about our relationship with Studio KDA, is they were able to flex their staffing and their normal process to really accelerate to meet our time scale. That was really, really impressive. I’ve not had an example of us working with another architect and accomplishing so much in such a short period of time. They were very, very open, flexible, and provided good communication.

Ben Brichta, Director of Development, PMG Development

A Neighbor’s Comments

I’m an Adams Point resident and have to commend you for your stunning redesign at 285 Lee Street in Oakland. You took a ho-hum building and turned it into a modern showcase for the neighborhood. Just wanted to say thanks for beautifying our environment.

Carrie Trimmer, MBA, Realtor